Myki now taking orders, accepted on trains

In less than an hour Melbourne residents will be able to order a free registered Myki online. Delivery is promised within seven days. Availability is advised on the Myki website, as below:

Effective today, Myki is valid for train travel within both Melbourne zones. Official public use on trams and buses will follow once the Minister is satisfied with its reliability.

Today's announcement represents a 'soft start' for Myki and a response to the government promise to have it operational by the end of 2009. For now, the average Melbourne passenger is probably better off with Metcard due to its acceptance on all modes. Nevertheless, the free Myki offer will appeal to curious train-riding 'early adopters'.

This larger body of users should also mean more rigorous 'real passenger' testing and better maintenance of Myki machines and readers at stations. Up to now much of the system had been live but with only 'first users' testing it, hardware maintenance had not always been given due urgency.

Today's announcement is a significant milestone for a project that has more than usual 'behind the scenes' work. However in many people's minds it won't have fully started until availability is widened and cards are accepted on all modes. The roll-out to bring this about over the next six months or so promises to be very interesting indeed.

Myki videos

A selection of videos shot during Myki's test phase in Melbourne. Note that some features may have changed or improved since these were made.

Myki ticketing coming to Melbourne

Myki under test in Melbourne

Myki card history machine

A look at Myki: currently under test in Melbourne

This video shows a station ticket machine being used to add value to a card, check the remaining balance and examine trip history. Also shown is validation on board a tram and the differences between touching on, touching off and an attempt to use an expired ticket.

Already installed on regional city buses, Myki will undego pilot testing before it becomes available to Melbourne train, tram and bus commuters. Until then Myki tickets are not valid for use in Melbourne and passengers require a valid Metcard to travel.

Also note that what you see here is a system under test and changes may be made by the time Myki is released for public use in Melbourne (expected to be later this year).

Further information: www.myki.com.au & Victorian Public Transport Ticketing

Smartcard ticketing on Youtube

A selection of instructional videos about smartcard ticketing in Australia from various sources.

WA Transperth SmartRider - Part 1

WA Transperth SmartRider - Part 2

Qld Translink Go Card introduction

Qld Translink Go Card use on train

Qld Translink Go Card topping up

Vic Myki preview

Water, heat and short-term tickets

A byproduct of non-reloadable tickets such as Metcards or Myki paper tickets is littering. While it's true that the old paper tickets can be dropped, they seemed less noticeable on the ground than their substitutes.

The silver lining of this was the easy availability of used tickets to do further inspection and testing.

Water

Dropping the card into a bowl of hot water revealed its layer sandwich construction. The first layer to come off was the paper back of the card. This made the card thin enough to see the insides when held up to the sun.

A further dunk allowed the blue front to be peeled off. This left only the middle two layers of the sandwich. In between these layers is the electronics. This comprises a multi-turn antenna around the edge of the card and the square RF ID chip (4mm x 4mm) in the centre of the card. Also readable is the card's brand (Confidex - a Finnish company) and a serial or batch number starting with 'HA'.

It is not known if the card has survived the dunking or not. However even if it did the ticket would not be valid.

Heat

Next it was time for a heat test. An iron made the back go black very quickly. This is not unlike a Metcard, which also discolours with heat.

An hour on a car's parcel shelf in direct sunlight failed to discolour the ticket. However it was not a very hot day and it would be worthwhile to repeat the test when the car's inside is 40-50 degrees.

Again it is not known whether this would have damaged the ticket or not.